Memories of Poison
by Lotus Amaryllis
Summary: It's the thirty-second Hunger Games, with 24 tributes as always. Only one will survive. And 23 will die. Memories will be diseased, poison will be consumed, tears will be shed, and blood will fall. May the odds be ever in your favor.
1. District One Reapings

The 32nd Hunger Games

Chapter One- District One Reaping

* * *

Rous Fier—Male

* * *

Rous Fier awakes to the sound of the tingling alarm clock, but perks up immediately when the agenda-pad says, "Today is Reaping Day!" His expression changes once again, into a thoroughly panicked looked this time, hearing the agenda-pad state calmly, "Reaping in 5 minutes."

Rous leaps out of his grand District One bed throws on a random blue shirt and brown jeans, a popular fad in the Capitol this year, and white socks. He walks downstairs groggily.

"Hey, Rous," His mother greets, as he steps into the kitchen, enjoying the wonderful aroma of his breakfast-lunch. "Gonna volunteer?"

"What do you think?" Rous growls jokingly.

"No?" She plays dumb.

"Well, if that's whatcha think, I'm gonna rip off your head!" Rous threatens, not literally.

"Oh, no!" His mother fake-squeals, then, looking at the agenda-pad, says in a serious tone, "No more playing, Roussy-Boy. Reaping in 1 minute. Be a good buddy and volunteer for me, 'kay?"

"Right." Rous promises. He slips on his somewhat 'formal' shoes, and hops out the door, calling, "Bye, Mother!"

* * *

Rous runs down the path, and stops at the sight of a large group of children and parents. He spots the 17 year sections and hurries along to the kids over there. He scans the 13 section for his little sister, sure to have come down earlier than he did. There; Rayla Fier. He breathes more calmly. He examines the other kids as he waits. _The Capitol people must be extremely late_, he thinks. Then, as if reading his mind, the mayor and a woman with dark pink skin, extremely long fingernails, blond hair dyed blue, and an interesting clothing choice walks up to the stage, her hips swaying, and flirting with the male victors.

The mayor begins by telling the history of Panem, how North America arose from ashes . . . blah blah blah . . . Then he gestures to the funky-looking lady to be center of attention.

"Hem, hem," She begins grandly, once everyone quiets down. Rous examines her, not finding her familiar at all. "I'm your escort, Lollie Frisket, and welcome to the reaping!" There is nothing but silence. "Sorry . . ." Lollie says awkwardly. "It's my first year here, so why not let it be?" Rous stares at Lollie in shock. Escorts weren't supposed to say that it was their first year in his District. It was plain rude, and besides, every kid in District One already knew, since their old escort, Kealy Marvis, wasn't present at the Reaping. "Alright, let's get going! And . ._ . _ladies first!" Lollie stretches her hand into the glass jar and pulls out a slip of paper. "Veruna Mallorn!"

An average 15 year old steps onto the stage. Her dirty blonde hair in two braids, and her eyes daring anyone to volunteer, she says, "Veruna, Mallorn, 15, District 1." Several people snigger, and someone conjures up a loud snort, and Veruna gets an expression on her face, like when you know you did something stupid. She is wearing a strapless turquoise dress which falls to her knees, and brown sandals. Definitely Rous' girl. He needed to volunteer.

Then, not to everyone's surprise, a girl, calls out, "I volunteer!" She's followed by many others, including Rayla. Only one girl, not his sister, manages to fight to the top of the stage. She's dazzling, in Rous' opinion, and it seems also in others, since he hears the boy besides him whisper, "Oh, God."

"Wonderful!" Lollie beams. "And, what's your name, may I ask?"

"Duh," She says. "I'm supposed to tell you, you idiot." Everyone gasps. Rous smiles. This girl's daring.

Lollie frowns. Then, thinking this is normal behavior for District One tributes, she continues just as brightly, "Okay!"

The girl sighs, and says in a bored tone, "Shimmer Springs, 16." _Her name is so pretty. Fits her well._ Rous thinks. _Oh, damn. I'm falling for her._

"Wonderful!" Lollie squeaks again. Rous gazes at Veruna. _Veruna looks mad_, he observes. _Well, duh. Wouldn't I be mad if some random crappy boy volunteered for me?_

"Alright!" Lollie claps her hands. "Time for the gen-teel-man!" She stretches it out, and shoots a flirting smile at the male victors, all squirming uncomfortably. She grabs the bowl, and takes her time choosing one slip. Rous assumes she takes more than a week, or as it seems to him.

"Ah . . ." Lollie breathes finally. "And the male tribute is . . . drumroll please . . ." Rous sighs. 'Drumroll please' was a phrase used thousands of years ago, to show suspense, but that was when Panem was North America and there was no such thing as a District or a Capitol.

"Tarune Darien!" Lollie announces. Rous prepares to run to the stage as Tarune, a chubby kid with brown hair, smiles broadly. Rous shakes his head. No, Tarune wouldn't do. Chubby kids were the worst. Once Tarune gets to the stage, both Tarune and Lollie wait patiently for the other—Lollie, since Shimmer had said that she wasn't supposed to ask; Tarune, since escorts were supposed to say, "Wonderful!" or something of that sort. After 15 minutes, as Rous thought, a male victor shuffles over, embarrassed, and nudges Lollie. Lollie turns around delightedly and kisses him. He splutters. Rous was beginning to find things very interesting. The male victor murmurs something Rous can't quite catch, even with his sharp hearing, and Lollie backs away. The male victor walks back, and receives numerous jeers from the others.

Lollie turns to Tarune as Rous prepared to run. "All right, state your information." Shimmer sighs, Rous noted.

Tarune grins and says, "Tarune Darien, age 18." Tarune blew kisses. Rous rolls his eyes as he begins to run.

"All right!" Lollie exclaims. "Any volun-" Rous was the first one up, and knocked Lollie, slightly. "Oh goodness," Lollie whimpers. "Idiotic boy." Rous rolls his eyes once again, as several others come racing up. Rous punches the first three squarely in the nose and the rest back off. He grins at Shimmer, but receives a glare back as she runs and comforts a boy Rous just punched. Rous frowns. So Shimmer _had_ a boyfriend after all. Should've known. With that pretty face and all.

"Oh, oh, dear," Lollie calls. "Punching is rude, boy, no punch—"

Rous slaps her cheek. There is a collective gasp from the audience, as Lollie was correct.

"I'm volunteering!" Rous roars into her ear.

"Yes, yes, I know," Lollie whispers. "Congratulations. Information please."

"Rous Fier, 16." Rous replies, more calmly. He spots Rayla and her group of friends cheering for him. Rous' spirit brightens up immediately at the sight.

"Alright, I've got it," Lollie states. Then, turning back to the crowd, she announces, "And, I give you—Shimmer Springs and Rous Fier—Tributes of District One!" Rous sighs. Lollie wasn't supposed to say that; at the end of a Game, to indicate victory, is when the phrase was supposed to be said. This woman had a long way to go.

* * *

Rous waits patiently for someone to come. The door opens slowly, cautiously. Rayla's head peeks out. Following her were some of her friends who apparently though Rous was 'hot', as people of North America thousands of years ago would have said. Rous groans.

"Hey, bro!" Rayla exclaims brightly, his fan club following.

"Hey, Ray." Rous replies, scowling, and trying his best to ignore the other girls.

"Came to wish you luck." Rayla continues. "And my friends do too, right, Marian, Torii?" Rayla asks, stroking the two girls closest to her. Rous groans inwardly.

"I've got a token for you." Rayla smiles, pulling out a silver coin. Her expression softens. "It's from Daddy." She chokes. "Thought that if you had it, Daddy could come down from Heaven and protect you . . ." and suddenly Rous finds himself crying with Rayla. His fan club backs away and exits.

"Please don't remind me," Rous half-groans and half-sobs.

"Well, take this with you. Remember Daddy. Remember me, your dear sister. Remember Mommy. But I'm sure Daddy wanted me to find this. I found it on my pillow this morning. I was going to keep it, but then you volunteered, and . . . why not have Daddy protect you?" Rayla whispers, smiling more. Rous rubs his eyes.

"Thanks, Rayla. You sure are annoying, but know how to get people emotional." Rayla flashes him a flimsy, lame grin, and is pulled out by a Peacekeeper.

Rous turns around and finds Shimmer.

"So, gorgeous, we're district partners now, eh?" Rous says. Shimmer glares at him.

"You punched my boyfriend." She sniffles.

"Your boyfriend, huh?" Rous smiles widely. "Well, that's gonna change from now on." Shimmer looks confused. "_I'm_ your boyfriend now, gorgeous."

"But—" Shimmer protests.

"Shut up." Rous commands, and kisses her. Shimmer manages to pry away from his grasp, walks away, and, glaring coldly at him while in the process, says, "Never." Rous sighs. Shimmer was playing it tough.

* * *

Shimmer Springs, Female

* * *

Shimmer Springs sighs as she pulls on a frilly spaghetti-strap gown. She _was _going to wear training equipment, but she spent the night in Byrne, her boyfriend's bed, and left her clothes there. And note—they did not do 'stuff'.

Shimmer examines the gown: moss green, spaghetti strap, frills everywhere, ankle length, and just plain girly. The only reason she agreed to wear it was because it was a gift from her grandmother, who had passed away 12 years ago.

Shimmer suddenly grins. She looks down at the gown, and remembers why she was going to wear it; today is Reaping Day. She slips the gown on, the silky fabric brushing her legs. She hates the way the gown shows all her perfect curves, but was sure Byrne was going to love it.

Her door creaks suddenly, and Shimmer sees her little sister, Mayprill. Mayprill gazes at her and giggles, saying, "Shim, you're pretty. If I were Byrne, I would kiss you right now."

"Mayprill!" Shimmer chides. "14 year olds aren't supposed to talks about kissing and love!"

"Oh yeah, they are." Mayprill replies. Then her big hazel eyes get dreamy and she says, "You know I have a crush on Martin. We kiss a lot."

Shimmer sighs. Little sisters. Always wanting to be like their older sibling. Always think they know more.

"Mayprill, why don't you go change now." Shimmer suggests gently. Then she glances at the clock. "Oh, my goodness!" She shrieks. "Three minutes! Three! Go change now!"

"Sheesh," Mayprill mutters. "Alright, I'll change."

5 minutes later, Mayprill comes downstairs to a frantic Shimmer. Mayprill wears a simple orange tank top, white leggings that went just over her knee, and a dangerously low jean skirt. Mayprill slips on her Uggs, boots that were passed down from her family from when Panem was North America. Mayprill has her hair in a low ponytail, with a charm necklace on. Shimmer, on the other hand, wears her shiny black high-heels, and has her hair a braid.

Shimmer takes one look at her younger sister, wrinkles her nose and says, "Go change."

"Why should I?"

"Informal."

"Well, we're 2 minutes late already, so if you want us to be more late, then . . . alright." Mayprill starts going up the stairs.

"Fine!" Shimmer sighs, giving up. "Whatever." Mayprill grins triumphantly.

The two walk out the door, hoping, hoping they will get reaped.

* * *

Shimmer and Mayprill arrive just as the escort arrives. Shimmer checks her watch and whispers to her sister, "We're extremely late. But don't worry; the escort is too." She and Mayprill go separate ways as she goes into the 16 year sections and Mayprill goes into the 14 year sections. Shimmer then spots Byrne in the 18 section and mouths, 'Volunteer'. Byrne nods and Shimmer waves him away.

The escort comes up to the stage, looking extremely ugly in Capitol fashions. Shimmer sighs in disgust. Then she notices they have a new escort. _Oh, good_, she thinks. _This is going to be fun._

Everyone becomes silent, watching her, as she says, "Hem, hem. I'm your escort, Lollie Fricket, and welcome to the reaping!" Shimmer almost laughs in the awkward silence. She sees several others are holding on to their lips, biting their mouths. "Sorry . . ." Lollie continues. "It's my first year here, so why not let it be?" Shimmer's brows come up. What does she mean by that? And anyways, escorts weren't supposed to say that it's their first year. But it didn't matter so much.

"Alright, let's get going!" Lollie continues uncomfortably. "And . . . ladies first!" Duh. Shimmer sighs. What a stupid woman.

Lollie selects a piece of paper from the jar. She carefully opens it, as if it's fragile as glass. Shimmer prepares to walk up grandly, volunteering for the wispy child chosen.

"Veruna Mallorn!" A tall, strong, beautiful, and _definitely_ not wispy girl walked up and smirked. _If you volunteer, I will literally murder you,_ her eyes seemed to say. Perfect.

"Veruna Mallorn, 15, District 1." Shimmer can't hold back a snort. Of course she's in District One! Veruna gets a weird expression on her face, as she scans the crowd once again.

Then Shimmer remembers. Volunteers! She jumps up, and runs to the stage, shouting, "I volunteer!" She is followed by Mayprill and several others.

Shimmer looks at the other girls and glares. They all back away, even Mayprill. Shimmer takes the stage.

"Wonderful!" Lollie exclaims stupidly. "And what is your name, may I ask?" _Of course you can ask, dumbo._

"Duh. I'm supposed to tell, you, you idiot." Shimmer says aloud. There is a collective gasp as Shimmer smirks. Then Lollie, who apparently saw this behavior tons of times, says, "Okay!"

Shimmer says in a monotone, "Shimmer Springs, 16."

"Alright!" Lollie smiles. "Time for the gen-teel-man!" Shimmer hates how she says 'gentleman'. What a flirt.

Shimmer backs away into a corner as Lollie chooses a slip of paper. She whips it out, announcing, "Ah . . . and the male tribute is . . . drumroll please . . . Tarune Darien!"

A rather chubby boy staggers up the stage, panting from the short run. Shimmer's heart beats quicker. She cannot do with this kid as her district partner.

Then she spots Byrne running up. _Yes!_ She thinks. But then, unfortunately, a rather strong, burly boy runs up, faster than anyone Shimmer has seen. _I want him as my district partn—Wait; what the crap?_ Shimmer rolls her eyes at confusing herself. She hears Lollie say something about volunteers. Whatever. She brings herself back to the scene just in time to see the fast boy punching Byrne in the nose. Shimmer runs over after glaring at the boy, thinking, _No!_ The fast boy just looks annoyed at her. Shimmer soothes Byrne as she watches Lollie scold the fast boy, then Fast Boy slapping Lollie.

"I'm volunteering!" Fast Boy yells.

"Yes, yes, I know." Lollie moans. "Congratulations. Information please."

"Rous Fier, 16." Fast Boy replies. Lollie pauses for a minute to record everything, then declares, "Alright, I've got it." She turns her back to Shimmer, who had managed to soothe Byrne, and says, "I give you—Shimmer Springs and Rous Fier—Tributes of Districts One!" _Idiot_, Shimmer thinks. _Not __now__._ The crowd cheers, clapping, clapping, sure to welcome them back.

* * *

"Hey, Shim." Mayprill pops in suddenly. "Congrats."

"Thanks." Shimmer says warmly.

"Sorry I don't have a token." Mayprill searches herself, her hand stopping at her neck. "You can have my charm bracelet/necklace though."

"Yeah," Shimmer says sarcastically. "I _extremely _desire a token my little sis thought of last minute, and is sure to have Martin drool on it . . ."

"Oh, no; it doesn't, I assure you." Mayprill replies, blushing.

"Okay, well, I'll take it anyways."

"Thanks, Shim. Remember me. Win for me. For Mom. For Byrne." Mayprill smiles, somewhat wickedly. Shimmer blushes.

"Time's up." A Peacekeeper interrupts as Mayprill hands the charm to Shimmer.

"Good luck." Mayprill whispers.

Shimmer can hardly believe her luck. She's in the Hunger Games . . . fame, fortune . . . it will be all hers once she wins.

* * *

Shimmer turns around and finds Fast Boy; apparently his name was Rous, but whatever.

Rous had light brown hair, almost dirty blonde but not quite, and was breathtakingly handsome. Shimmer's heart almost stops.

"So, gorgeous we're district partners now, eh?" _He called me 'gorgeous',_ Shimmer's heart soar. Shimmer tries her best to glare at him.

"You punched- my boyfriend." She says haltingly. The word _boyfriend_ sounded weird to describe Byrne; Byrne was almost nothing compared to this kid.

"Your boyfriend, huh?" Rous smiles. "Well, that's gonna change from now on."

Shimmer is surprised, as confusion creeps up to her face. "_I'm_ your boyfriend now, gorgeous."

"But—" Shimmer protests, still confused.

"Shut up," Rous orders, and pulls her in until their lips touch briefly. Shimmer struggles away, thinking, _I just kissed a random boy!_ Shimmer manages to get away and does her best to glare coldly at him, saying, "Never." She turns around and gives herself a small smile. Rous sighs, and Shimmer can hardly believe her luck.

* * *

_For love _

_Is immortality._

~Emily Dickinson


	2. District Two Reapings

_~ Author's Note ~  
__Memories of Poison—The Thirty-Second Hunger Games__ is now updated!  
Read and Review :)_

* * *

Memories of Poison

Chapter Two- District Two Reaping

* * *

Hyre Viresh—Male

* * *

Hyre Viresh flexes his muscles, glancing at the ladies staring at him. Hyre blows a series of kisses, enjoying the pleasant, tinkling giggles coming from their direction. Hyre has all the girls; Vira, with wavy blonde hair, living proof that the phrase 'dumb blondes' was true; Trixten, with straight blonde hair, living proof that the phrase 'dumb blondes' _wasn't_ true; Maylene, an ugly brunette; and so on. He only had a few girls who contained complete hatred of him; Mint, the prettiest and most popular girl in the District; Kara-Mel, the second-most prettiest and second-most popular, whose parents enjoyed caramels, thus creating Kara-Mel's name; Amethyst, the third-most prettiest and third-most popular; in short, all the popular and pretty girls hated him, unfortunately. And okay, maybe not a_ few_ girls who hated him.

But, fortunately, today was Reaping Day, and Hyre would show all the hot girls that he was so awesome, and when he came home with huge amounts of gold and cake and bananas, Mint, Kara-Mel, and Amethyst were sure to fall for him, and he'd give them a banana and they'd eat it an—"WELCOME TO DISTRICT TWO'S REAPING!"

Hyre jumps. Crap, it is the Reaping. He was late. So fortunate that the escort had a loud voice. D*mn, he isn't wearing a shirt. Hyre sighs. Oh well.

He races down the pebbled path, entering the more glorious part of District Two. Hyre lives in the, unfortunately, poorer part of District Two, which was most likely the reason why he got all the unpopular, nerdy, weird girls who lives in the same area he did. If he lived in the actual factory parts of District Two, he would have a better chance at getting Mint, Kara-Mel, Amethyst, Jayden, etc. and eat bananas with them all day long. . . what was with bananas and him these days? Oh well. Hyre checks in, the peacekeeper staring at him questioningly, his eyebrows raised at Hyre's bare chest, and scrambles to the 16-year-old's section, where he catches Mint's eye staring at him loathingly. "THE CAPITOL IS SO SMART, AWESOME AND GREAT AND RICH ANDYOU DISTRICTS ARE DUMB, NOT AWESOME AND GREAT, AND POOR. SO THIS IS WHY YOU NEED TO HAVE THE HUNGER GAMES. I, OCEANA, AM AWESOME AND DO NOT NEED THE HUNGER GAMES!" _Geez, take a chill pill, woman_, Hyre thinks as several people boo. Oceana has bright pink skin with pink hair, pink tank top, pink short skirt, pink leggings, pink flip-flops, and pink socks; Hyre is tempted to go up there, snatch Oceana's pink tank top, and demand her to change her name to Pinky instead of Oceana. "HAHA NOW FOR THE WOMANIES! BUT I, OCEANA, THINK WE SHOULD DO MALE FIRST, BUT CAPITOL IS DUMB—ER—SMART AND ER—YEAH. . ." Oceana stutters. Hyre nearly doubles over in laughter. The Capitolites are probably raging mad now, watching live from their homes. Oceana swirls her hand in the glass jar, stopping abruptly. Oceana unfolds the slip, and bellows, "MINT SERENI, HAHAHA! MARY SUE!" Hyre looks at Oceana, confused. Who was Mary Sue? Yes, Mint Sereni he knew, she was that perfect girl who always skipped school.

Hyre wipes the thought out of his head as Mint walks up the platform confidently, glaring at the audience members, especially the girls, daring any of them to come up. Mint is wearing a soft turquoise dress with sequins all over it. The sleeves are translucent, and you can see her perfect arms. Mint's hair is in a low side ponytail with something sticking on the side of her head, and her structure makes her look like a . . . mint. Coincidentally.

Mint continues glaring, and no one volunteers, which is probably Mint's goal as she sighs in relief, although several girls, including Kara-Mel, and Amethyst, narrow their eyes.

"Ah, you're a beauty," Oceana cackles, her voice quieting down so that the people can stop their covering of the ears. "I think I was quite correct when I dubbed you Mary-Sue. If you had an apostrophe in your name . . . What's your middle name?"

Mint looks at Oceana, irritated. This was not a typical Reaping. "Eh—Dewdrop."

Oceana examines Mint curiously. "Mint Dew—apostrophe—drop Sereni. Mint Dew'drop Sereni! Nice Mary-Sue name, eh?"

Mint opens her mouth wide. "What? What's a—er—Mary-Sue?"

"Ha. You probably don't care because you're not a writer like me. You're sixteen, yes? Oh—Mary-Sues aren't exactly a compliment. You are probably not going to win the Games. But, anyways, on with the Reaping!" Oceana waves the matter away. Mint continues her staring.

Oceana waves her hand delicately in the glass bowl, choosing, precisely, a slip of paper. Oceana cackles. "HYRE VIRESH!" Hyre shoots up to the platform. _I'm in the Hunger Games!_ He thinks. Then he glances down, suddenly aware that his shirt is not on and all the women of the District can see his body. "Ah, I see you are a show off." Oceana cackles again. "Volunteers?" A pale boy steps forward.

"I volunteer!" He says, grinning.

"Great." Oceana smiles. "Name and age?"

"Nilo Hor, 17," Nilo offers, still grinning.

"Ah, great."

Hyre stands, frozen. He wants to shout, to scream, to punch Nilo, and finally manages to gasp out, "Hey, Nilo, you're the one who didn't come to the Reaping last year!"

Nilo glares at Hyre steadily. "I _did_ come last year," he insists.

"Yeah, right," Hyre laughs, getting the hang of it. "I saw you smooching it up with—who was it?" He pauses for dramatic effect. "Wasn't it Kaveri? Kaveri Marklis?" An embarrassed screech comes from the tense crowd. "Now that I think about it, Kaveri didn't come either." This time Nilo freezes up. There _was_ some truth—Hyre _did_ see Nilo kissing this girl, Blossom Rus. And Hyre was sure Kaveri didn't come to the Reaping last year. She was at home kissing this random loser boy.

The Peacekeepers look at Hyre questioningly. Hyre nods as the nearest Peacekeepers hoist Nilo onto a cot-shaped thing and take him away.

"Ah, drama," Oceana sighs. "Oh well. This year's District Two tributes are Mint Sereni, the Mary-Sue, and Hyre Viresh, the Drama King." They shake hands, and Hyre can see by the look on Mint's face that she is angry about being called 'Mary-Sue'. "Happy Hunger Games, everyone." Oceana grins. "And may the odds be _ever _in your favor."

* * *

Hyre sighs as he waits for someone to congratulate him, to say goodbye. His parents don't even come. So now he has to sit in this crummy little space for one hour staring at the wall, waiting for no one.

He should have guessed. He was worthless, even though he was from District Two and was going to be a Career. No one cared about him. No one would be cheering for him to win. He vowed to die as soon as possible. Maybe even shout something touching as he did.

Because Hyre Viresh is worthless.

Because no one cares.

* * *

Mint Sereni—Female

* * *

Mint Sereni spent two hours in the bathroom preparing for the Reaping. Only. Two. Hours!

But she couldn't blame herself; she woke up late. But seriously! Only two hours! Mint sighs. Her mother would probably have a yelling fit.

Mint realizes that today is Reaping Day. She groans, even though she is from District Two, a Career District, but she despises the Reaping and the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games would change her all right; her hair would probably be messed up after 5 seconds since the Games would begin (and to think that all the citizens of Panem would see her with tangled hair! Mint shudders), her leg would lose its perfect shape, her skin would lose its perfect color, and many other imperfections Mint shuddered to think about.

Mint examines her wardrobe carefully, deciding which dress would be the best to wear at the Reaping. Mint ponders and eventually chooses a silky turquoise dress covered in sky blue sequins which bring out her perfect blue eyes. The sleeves of the ankle-length dress are translucent, showing off her perfect arms. She searches for a turquoise string and a turquoise ribbon, ties her honey-brown hair into a low side ponytail, and fiddles around with the ribbon, debating the best place to include it. She finally decides to have the ribbon on the left side of her head, and walks down stairs.

"Hey, Ma." Mint nods.

"Why are you here?" Mrs. Sereni asks, gazing at her daughter wondrously.

"Um. . . it's the Reaping today, remember?"

"Yes, I know that, but why are you down here so early?" Mrs. Sereni questions with a hint of irritation.

"What do you mean?" Mint says, knowing everything her mother means.

"I mean, get your ugly face perfect!" Mrs. Sereni nearly shouts.

Mint flinches. "My face is _not _ugly! I'm the prettiest girl in the District, Ma!"

"I know that, but today is the Reaping, and you need to spend _at least_ 5 hours working on your ugly face! Everyone expects you to be beautiful!" Mrs. Sereni reasons. Mint sighs, apparently defeated, and walks to her room.

She dabs on some blush, adds some lipstick and gloss, curls her eyelashes, rubs on some lotion to make her skin look and feel smooth, and doing everything else in order to making her supposed 'ugly face' look 'perfect'. Mint fastens her dirty blonde hair into a neat low side ponytail, making her look extremely mature, and adds a turquoise bow to complete the image. She riffles through her closets full of gowns and chooses one that matches her bow and eyes perfectly. Mint slips the silky gown on, and admires her reflection. The sleeves of the gown are translucent, showing off her smooth arms. _Everyone is going to love me_, she thinks happily. Fortunately, her makeover took, surprisingly, four hours and fifty-eight minutes, close enough to five hours. Mint glides gracefully to the first floor, grinning when she sees her mother's rare proud-of-you expression.

"Nice, Mint, but you are. . . going to be late to the Reaping." Mrs. Sereni says quietly. "So. . . GET OUT OF THE HOUSE! NOW! NO DAUGHTER OF MINE IS EVER GOING TO BE LATE!"

Mint flinches, scrambling out the door, not even bothering to say good-bye.

* * *

Mint arrives at the Gathering Plaza just as the escort, Oceana Jodile, steps up the stage. She winces again at the pain she encountered when the Peacekeepers had to prick her finger.

Mint, unfortunately, catches the eye of Hyre Viresh, the boy who all losers went to in order for a date to prom or something. She glares pointedly at him, causing him to turn away, hopefully in fright. Oceana is currently rambling on about something on the Capitol being so 'awesome and smart' and that was why the Capitolites did not need to participate in the Hunger games. Mint strongly disagrees, along with many other District Two Citizens as she can tell easily by the booing. Oceana finally captures Mint's attention when she draws out a slip from the glass jar delicately, screaming "MINT SERENI, HAHAHA! MARY SUE!" Mint is in a daze. She got reaped! But what was with the Mary-Sue part at the end?

She walks up confidently, feeling all the boys' eyes on her. Mint glares, threating everyone who dares walk up and volunteer.

"Ah, you're a beauty," Oceana chuckles, her voice quieting. "I think I was quite correct when I dubbed you Mary-Sue. If you had an apostrophe in your name . . . What's your middle name?"

Mint rubs her hands together nervously. This wasn't how the typical Reaping was supposed to operate, was it?

"Um. . . Dewdrop," Mint answers.

"Mint Dew—apostrophe—drop Sereni. Mint Dew'drop Sereni! Nice Mary-Sue name, eh?" Oceana cackles.

"What? Er—what's a Mary-Sue?" Mint asks, nervous once again.

"Ha. You probably don't care because you're not a writer like me. You're sixteen, yes? Oh—Mary-Sues aren't exactly a compliment. You are probably not going to win the Games. But, anyways, on with the Reaping!" Oceana waves her hand, clearly wanting to end the conversation, which Mint wants to end too.

The remainder of the Reaping ended in a blur, with Mint thinking about everything Oceana had said. Apparently a boy named Hyre Viresh (who was not wearing a shirt and apparently wanted to show off his unimpressive chest) was Reaped, Nilo volunteered, and somehow the Peacekeepers agreed with whatever Hyre was saying (something about a girl named Kaveri) and arrested Nilo. What a pity; Nilo was a handsome boy, although he _did _have an unusually pale face.

Oceana leads them into shaking hands, Mint's face angry from Nilo being arrested. "May the odds be _ever_ in your favor." Oceana ends grandly.

* * *

Her mother is the only one who visit, surprisingly. Not one boy comes. All Mrs. Sereni does is hand her a necklace, whispering, "Token." Not even a simple 'Good-luck'. Just 'Token'. And Mint's Mother leaves leaves.

Mint examines the necklace; it is a locket with an included picture of Mint and her mother and father, who died a few years earlier in a mysterious incident in the city of District Two. Mrs. Sereni has, on her face, and extremely rare, un-fake smile, and Mint unexpectedly notices tears rolling down her cheeks. Wiping the tears away, she waits patiently for someone else, but no one comes.

Then she realizes; she is a fake. A perfect person, like what Oceana had called her. A Mary-Sue. And she is.

_My life is a fail._

* * *

_~ Author's Note ~_

_I'm not sure if District Two is going to win this Hunger Games!  
__Maybe Mint, but she seems kind of like a Mary-Sue . . .  
__* Anyways, review ^_^ _

_~ Lotus Amaryllis ~_


	3. Tribute Form

Memories of Poison  
Author's Note

* * *

_Hello, readers :D_

_Well, I've decided to change this Hunger Games fanfiction into a(n) SYOT (submit your own tribute). All the Districts are open, except for, obviously, District One and District Two, as Rous Fier, Shimmer Springs, Hyre Viresh, and Mint Sereni were my own characters._

* * *

Here is the tribute form you are required to turn in if you desire your/a tribute to be in Memories of Poison-

**Basic Information**

Name-

Age-

Gender-

District (First and Second Preference)-

**Physical Features**

Lips (Color, size)-

Eyes (Color, size)-

Nose (size)-

Hair (Color, length)-

Face (Shape)-

Height (Approximately)-

Weight (Approximately)-

Weaknesses (Minimum four)-

Strength (Maximum six)-

**Mental Features**

Feeling on the Hunger Games Before the Games-

Feelings on the Hunger Games During the Games-

Feelings on the Hunger Games After the Games(Optional)-

Personality-

**Family**

Mother-

Father-

Siblings (if any—include age/s)-

**Other Relationships**

Other Important Family Members-

Friends (if any—include age/s)-

Romance (if any—include age/s)-

**Outfits**

Reaping Outfit-

Chariot Outfit-

Interview Outfit-

Arena Beginning Outfit (Optional)-

**Training**

Training Strategy-

Trainer(s)' Reaction(s)-

Gamemakers' Session-

Training Score Range (A select group of fanfiction authors will decide your tribute's training score in order for everything to be fair- PM me or leave me a review if you would like to be in this group)-

**Interview**

Quote from the Interview-

Audience's Reaction-

**Reaping**

Reaped or Volunteered (If volunteered, why?)-

Reaction on Reaping-

Token-

**The Games**

When to Die? (Bloodbath, etc.)-

How Your Tribute Died (stabbed, etc.)-

Alliances (if positive, who would you like you tribute to have an alliance with?)-

Romance (Positive or Negative)-

Winning (High chance or low chance)-

* * *

Anything Else To Know-

* * *

If you would like to submit a mentor, this is the form you are required to turn in-

**Basic Information**

Name-

Gender-

Age-

District-

**Games**

Games Won-

How They Won-

Advice for Tribute-

**Physical Features**

Lips (Color, size)-

Eyes (Color, size)-

Nose (size)-

Hair (Color, length)-

Face (Shape)-

Height (Approximately)-

Weight (Approximately)-

Weaknesses (Minimum four)-

Strength (Maximum six)-

**Mental Features**

Feeling on the Hunger Games Before the Games-

Feelings on the Hunger Games During the Games-

Feelings on the Hunger Games After the Games-

Personality-

* * *

If you wish to know the specialties of each District, included is a list-

**District One-** Luxury Items

**District Two-** Weapons/ Peacekeepers

**District Three-** Technology

**District Four-** Fishing

**District Five-** Medicine

**District Six-** Scientific Research

**District Seven-** Lumber and Paper

**District Eight-** Textiles and Fabrics

**District Nine-** Metals and Plastics

**District Ten-** Livestock

**District Eleven-** Agriculture

**District Twelve-** Coal Mining

* * *

If you desire sponsors for your tribute, included is a list which describes the information-

**Sponsor Points**

Submitting a Tribute (Female- $200

Submitting a Tribute (Male- $300

Submitting a Mentor- $300

Reviewing on this Story- $100

Answering a Questions- $100

Arena Ideas (Maximum Two- $100 per idea

Game Suggestions (depending on thoughts- $100 - $200

Reviewing on One of Emmeline Alicia Mary's Stories in FictionPress (she's the only friend of mine with an account :D)- $100

* * *

I will give you specific details in the next chapter on the Sponsor Points if enough people send me tributes :)

* * *

_Please submit some tributes ^_^_  
_Thanks!_  
_Review :D_

_~ Lotus Amaryllis ~_


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